A True Friend Is Never Forgotten
by WildLifeHighway4
Summary: When Ford was in the multiverse, he was as stubborn as anyone can be and wouldn't trust fully in anyone he came to meet. But he did have one friend by his side to help him...or used to. ((Better than summary))
1. Prologue

**AN: Okay so, first I want to credit Dobermutt for an art post she made on tumblr that inspired me to write this fanfiction. This all takes place during Ford's time in the multiverse so it is going to be quite exciting.**

 **Again, credit to: Dobermutt tumblr com**

 **It a small au I came up with but honestly it wont be much different other than...Well you'll see. So anyhow, lets gets this show on the road.**

 **WARNING: Some minor language and there will be journal 3 and special edition spoilers in this story. Read at your OWN risk!**

 **Gravity Falls does not belong to me, it belongs to Alex Hirsch.**

"AND STAY OUT!" Said the dimensional bouncer, as he tossed a man in his mid fifties out of the casino. "You come back here again and I'll break every single one of them fingers on your hands." Slamming the backdoor shut. The man got up from the ground and dusted off the dirt from his clothes.

"What are the odds?..." he said. He began walking away for he did not want to have an encounter with that bouncer ever again. Whatever, he didn't even find the place all that great no matter how much luck he was getting.

No sir, time shouldn't be wasted in a place like that for Stanford Filbrick Pines.

So Ford went off to find the next dimension portal to jump through. To think he had been doing that for the past...twenty-five? Twenty-seven years? To be honest, he had lost track most likely, 5 years ago. Finding a calendar is really hard and when he did, the months weren't even months and if so, they had different names for it. All he could do was mark tally marks, for each day that went by, on a notebook he had with him, but even that didn't help much.

All these dimensions he came across were either incredibly ridiculous or were dangerous for him to be at with authority, or bounty hunters looking for him. There were many times where he had been lucky to escape from either one of them, no thanks to the one who put up a bounty of him.

Bill.

That no good son of a bitch is the reason he was in this mess in the first place. To think he had considered him as his frie- GOD! Just even thinking about that one-eyed bastard made him sick! His "friend" Bill had manipulated him, promised, tricked him into thinking that with his power, he would achieve everything his inspired mind could accomplish...but it was all a lie...a double-crossing plan Bill had hidden.

The Portal.

How could he have been so blinded? The only thing Bill only wanted was a dummy to create what would destroy his world. What a fool he was.

But one thing he did learn from all of that experience...That no one could be trusted. At all. It was hard for Ford to shut out anyone who was willing to help. He just couldn't afford another betrayal like that. He rarely traveled with company, just to get directions. No matter what, even if the being was just as afraid or angered by Bill, he just couldn't put his trust in them.

 ***THUNK***

Ford turned to the sound of the noise he had just heard. It was pitch black in his surroundings so it was hard to identify what it was.

"Hello? Who's there?" Ford said, putting his hand on near his portal gun he had on his waist belt.

Out appeared five intergalactic men. Could tell them by the form of their appearance. But they weren't just simple beings minding their own business...no. They were bounty hunters. They looked armed and threatening. Two were tall brutes, and the others were still slightly taller than Ford was.

"-;;- ..::.. ;.;. -.- ..-" said the leader. Of course Ford couldn't understand zilch what he was saying. Luckily he had his translator that could help him with that. He quickly looked for the language. "-did ya hear me?"

Bingo.

"What?" said Ford as he found the language the leader was speaking. "Well, well, well" said the leader. "I don't think he heard me the first time, huh boys?" The gang laughed. "Not many people walk through these areas, you know?" The leader began circling around Ford, looking at what he carried with him.

"We saw ya leave that casino...or being thrown out fits more the description." said the leader as the group laughed even more.

Ford did his best to not let the teasing affect him. "Yes" he said "I, did. Didn't have my best luck with me today." Obviously he was lying. He had hit the jackpot! But people just can't handle losing money.

The leader though, didn't buy it one bit. "Really?" he said. "But...don't they usually kick ya out when they suspect your counting cards...after winning a few rounds?"

Ford saw as the group began to get closer, slowly taking out their weapons. Surrounding him. "What do you want for me?" said Ford, keeping his guard up and looked at his surroundings.

The leader gave a cocky look "Listen here, Stanford Pines...We know who ya are and we know how much you are worth...so here's what's going to happen. You're going to give us all your winnings and every single loot ya got and we'll give ya a day or two before we hunt you down and take you to cipher, capisce?"

Definitely not. Ford was obviously not going to do that. First off, he didn't even have his winnings. The casino took them away before he could even cash them in and second, there was no way he was going to hand them what little money he had. He punched one of the goons on his right and quickly turned and tried to bolt out of there but was punched in the gut by one of the brutes who was behind him. They gripped onto his arms and faced him towards the leader.

The leader pulled out his gun and sighed "They never learn. You give them an easy way and they choose the-" his talk was cut short as Ford managed to kick him in the mouth and loosen his grip from the brutes. He took out one of the thugs he aimed to stab him in the back.

Just as Ford thought he would make it out of the situation, he felt a huge blow in the back of the head. One of the thugs had pistol-whipped and knocked him to the ground. Ford was beginning to black out. He saw the leader walk up to him, "You son of a-!" he kicked Ford while he was down, and grabbed a gun, pointing straight at him "I hope Cipher won't mind bringing him back dead".

Ford knew he was done for. He couldn't escape...He failed.

Just as the leader was about to shoot, out of shadows came in rope darts, strangling two thugs and were dragged away. Out appeared an unknown figure. Taking out each one of the gang members. Ford was witnessing all this...well, barely. He could barely see what was going on, and could not identified the unknown person, beating the crap out of the thugs.

Ford was starting to see nothing but black. He couldn't stay awake much longer. The last the thing he saw was the leader being taken down and from there on...nothing...

 **Dq djuhhdeoh frpsdqlrq rq d mrxuqhb lv dv jrrg dv d fduuldjh**

 **Okay! The prologue is complete! What's going to happen to Ford? Who was that unknown being? Leave reviews! I really hope you guys find this story interesting. I hope to aim at least 10 reviews, but I shouldn't ask for a lot. This story is my first that I will actually take serious and will try to update as quick as I can. Well anyways, hope to see some reviews!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Credit to: dobermutt on tumblr for the inspiration!**

 _ **Gravity Falls does not belong to me, it belongs to Alex Hirsch.**_

 _"Stanley! Stanley, help me!"_

 _"Oh, no, what do I do?!"_

 _"Stanley! Stanley! Do something! STANLEY!"_

Ford shot open his eyes, awaking from his slumber (or rather regained his conscience.) It was strange. He hadn't thought about Stan in years and this one dream all of a sudden, made Ford remember him. Though, the dream wasn't good at all. It was the memory of when Stan had pushed him into the portal.

Just perfect. The first time in years he came in contact with his brother only for him to once again screw up. If could have followed one simple task he wouldn't be in this situation. It could have been different.

Great. Now more memories are coming back. You know what? He should just stop thinking about it and...

 _"Wait a minute"_ thought Ford. He looked around and realized that he wasn't in Lottocron nine (The Gambling Dimension) anymore. He was in some, cave campsite. Hopefully in a different dimension.

But the question that went through Ford's mind was how he got there in the first place. The last thing he remembered were those thugs. Beating him up and almost killed...

" _You're awake..."_

Ford heard and immediately sat and shot a glance of where that voice came from. He saw sitting in front of him, stoking the fire, was an alien humanoid. Having exact human like features except he had solid light blue grayish skin; messy dark brown hair and looked to be in his early-twenties.

"Try not to make a lot of movements. You-" the humanoid was interrupted when Ford pulled and threw a knife at the guy, knocking him off his seat. Ford tried to make a break for it. He quickly got up, but the headache he had, was troubling for him. No matter. He was going to get out of there. Ford saw the exit of the cave and bolted in that direction.

"STOP!"

Ford heard the guy behind him. Running and running as fast as he could to get away from him. That guy was going to take him to cipher, but he would not allow it. But the injury in his head was slowing him down. Just as he close of stepping out of the cave, the humanoid caught up and jumped at him, pinning him down. "I said stop! Are you out of your mind?!" yelled the humanoid.

"GET OFF OF ME!" shouted Ford as he struggled to escape, "I WILL NOT GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT. TELL THAT TO CIPHER."

The humanoid then covered Ford's mouth to keep him from yelling and whispered to him "Do me a favor and shut the hell up or you're gonna get us both in trouble!" Outside the cave, were sounds of vehicles. Was it the authority? Bounty hunters? Cipher's minions? There was no way of knowing other than the fact they had to keep quiet. After the noise was gone, the humanoid looked over at Ford.

"Alright, now listen...here's what's going to happen." stated the humanoid "I'm gonna get off of you, I'm gonna step back, and you are not going to try to kill me! Got it?"

Ford wasn't completely convinced but if it meant the guy would get off of him, then he didn't have any other option; so he nodded a yes. The humanoid got off him and stood up, offering a hand to Ford. Instead of taking it, he smacked it away and got up and asked in an untrusting tone "What do you want from me?"

The humanoid responded "At the moment, for you to allow me to check your head."

The older man remained with his guard up. As much as he didn't trust the guy, the fact was that all his stuff was back at the camp the guy had set up. So as soon as he got his gear, he will make his escape.

"Fine."

They both walked on back to the base camp, but Ford remained behind the humanoid, to make sure he wasn't going to be double-crossed. At the sight of the camp, Ford saw his gear and equipment. The first thing Ford laid his eye on, was his gun; immediately he picked it up and aimed at the humanoid, to his surprise, put his hands up.

"Oh come on, are you kidding me?" said the humanoid, slightly annoyed.

Ford remained pointing the gun at him "I know what your plan is and I won't be made a fool out of." he said "You so much as make one movement and I will use this gun on you." He wasn't bluffing; He meant it one-hundred percent.

"My god, old man!" shouted the humanoid, "If this is your way of saying thank you, then you need to work on that!"

"And why would I do that?" questioned Ford.

"Hmm, gee I don't know. Maybe for saving your life from a space gang who were at the brink of killing yoU OR POSSIBLY TAKING YOU TO CIPHER!" he yelled, getting a little irritated. Ford was stunned. So he was the one who jumped that gang and got him out of that situation. Suddenly remembering now, Ford had recalled somebody swooping in on the fight...But why?

"It was you?" said Ford.

"Wow, give the man a prize for the win." the humanoid said sarcastically.

Ford, who still had the gun pointed at the humanoid, was now filled with more questions: Why would he do that? Did he only get him out of that situation because he wanted the bounty? That must have been it. Just another bounty hunter who was searching for the jackpot. Probably tried to pass off as an ally and manipulate him into thinking he was 'helping' him. That's it! That was this was all about! So Ford pulled back the hammer of a gun, hoping it could scare off the humanoid.

Seeing how Ford was being serious, the humanoid was getting a little nervous. "Hey heY HEY! Come on, just- didn't you hear me? Saved your life!" Obviously that wasn't good enough to convince him.

"I heard you the first time. You just saved me cause you want the bounty, I'm not an idiot. That's what every single one of you is after."

"For the love of all that is legal, old man, just listen to me...I didn't save you because of the money."

What?...Okay, but if he didn't want the reward, why did he save him? It didn't make sense. If this lad right here didn't want to take him to cipher for the money, what was his plan then?

"You...aren't planning to bring me to cipher?" questioned Ford, lowering his gun a bit.

The humanoid answered, "Of course not. Like I would ever get near that nacho looking, one eyed, annoying son of a bitch." He then, calmly walked over and sat down to stoke the fire.

Well then.

Ford had stopped pointing the gun and sat down. He saw that the humanoid also found a huge dislike in Cipher. "Then...I take it you're one of those who refuse to follow Cipher's order?"

"Call it what you want. But I will never do whatever that bastard wants, even if he's offering a huge pay off."

"Then why did you save me?"

The humanoid was silent for a few seconds until he spoke, "Because I hadn't done my good deed of the day" the humanoid said sarcastically, earning an annoyed look from Ford. "What do you think? Common sense! Do they teach that in your dimension? They almost killed you. I wasn't going to let that happen, despise you repaying me by almost shooting my face off. I saw you there, lying on the ground, as they kicked the living shit out of you, old man. So the next thing I know, I'm kicking some butt, and dragging your unconscious body to another dimension...and here we are. "

Ford listen to what the humanoid was saying. In the twenty years he's been in the multiverse, he's met different species of people. Some who are kind and welcoming; others?...not so much. He was one of the good guys...at least that's what he expected.

"Here"

Ford snapped out of his train of thought. He saw the humanoid trying to give him something, a small pack of who knows what. "What is this?" asked Ford.

"It just something for your head. Since you have trust issues and I don't want another gun pointed at me, do me a favor and you put that on. It'll help your head heal. I don't want hear whining about a head ache later on."

As Ford took the aid and applied it to the back of his head, he gasped as he instantly felt a complete relief, but that medicine was not like any back at his own dimension. It's almost like the whole injury was gone. "What kind of medicine is this?" he hissed out.

The humanoid wasn't betraying Ford; he wasn't planning anything, "Nuclucoma." he said.

Ford was stunned. Nuclucoma, what he had heard, was one of the miracle medicines to cure any physical injury within seconds; it was also banned in twenty five dimensions, which is also very hard to find. "H-how did...Where did you get this stuff?"

The humanoid chuckled, "That is confidential. I'll tell you this, it wasn't easy to get."

Ford looked at the humanoid. He seemed like an okay person, granted he had a snarky attitude, but he was okay. He looked like he's been through some stuff. The fabric of his clothes looked a bit worn out. From his jacket, to his boots. Was he from a post-apocalyptic dimension?

"What's your name?" Ford asked the humanoid.

After a few seconds he answered, "Thatch."

"Thatch?"

"Yeah, just Thatch. No last name. No middle name. Just Thatch."

"Alright then. I'm-"

"Stanford Pines" Thatch interrupted. "The most wanted man in the multiverse. The man, people talk about. The man who confronted Bill Cipher. I've seen the posters. Though I recall you having more brown hair than grayish brown."

"They haven't updated the wanted posters in a while." muttered Ford, slightly embarrassed of the fact he has more gray than brown hair. It made him feel old.

"It's an honor to meet you Stanford." Thatch stuck out his hand to greet, which Ford shook.

"Just call me Ford."

"Alright then, 'Ford'. Looks like that head injury of yours healed up nice." Thatch spoke as he stood up, "You seem good to go. I mapped out dimensions where we might find the parts you need fo-"

"E-Excuse me? We?" interrupted Ford "No no. I'm sorry but I have done my traveling with bandits already, this is a journey I most go through alone. While I appreciate what you did for me; saving my life and all, I believe this is were we part ways." He began picking up his equipment.

Thatch only stood there with half-smile "Wow, how mysterious and heroic" he said sarcastically. "You gotta be kidding me. Look I could be of help, old man."

Ford only continued to pack his stuff, ignoring the offer of the humanoid, and was heading out. Thatch followed.

"I am a pro when it comes to dimension hopping."

"Don't care."

"I've taken on life threatening situations before."

"Good for you."

"With my navigation skills, we can get you the last parts you need for your Quantum destabilizer."

Ford stopped walking. His eyes went wide. He turned around and out of no where, pinned Thatch against the wall. "How do you know about that?"

"I know my guns when I see one. And what you got there is an unfinished Quantum destabilizer. I know what you plan to do...and I want to help you."

Ford just wasn't sure about the boy. He looked like he had a good heart, but he's only known him for a short time. Why did he want to help? There was no point in discussing it much longer, he had to get going. It was huge risk he was taking but...oh well. What risk hasn't he done already? He let go of Thatch and sighed in defeat.

"Fine."

 **Wkh mrxuqhb brx vwduwhg dqg krsh iru lw wr hqg**  
 **Dq doob brx kdyh brx'oo vrrq frqvlghu d iulhqg**

 **AN: Wow that chapter took longer to post than I thought. Almost 2,000 words! Sorry for using the word Humanoid a lot. 'I' was getting tired of using that word. So his name is finally revealed! Thatch!...That's it. More about him will be revealed soon. Stay tuned and REVIEW! ;)**

 **And to some who have PM'd me about "Dads For A Day" Guys, I don't know if I plan to continue it. I'll look into it, but I just don't have the inspiration for that story anymore. I might make the decision to take it down. Please don't hate me. Again, Ill think about continuing it but for now this story will be my main one.**


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Took longer than I thought to make this chapter, but here we go!**

 **I DO NOT own Gravity Falls! It all belongs to Alex Hirsch!**

It had been two weeks since the author and the humanoid formed an alliance. They were traveling through the deserted Ruins of Kreena, in hope to find a colony soon. Ford never thought he would be traveling with anyone again. His encounters with people were like gambiling. You could end up with someone kind and loyal or with someone who wants to blow your head off.

"Okay! All we have to do is climb these ruins and we'll be sure to find the colony in no time." Trying to climb and get a good grip, his companion failed to do so and slid off and fell on his back.

Or you could end up with someone like him.

Thatch was a good person. He saved his life and all. He was someone who was kind of...upbeat and sarcastic. Snarky sometimes too. But he had good navigational skills. So the sooner they could find the last parts for the quantum destabilizer, the sooner they could part ways.

"Okay. Maybe that wasn't a good idea." said Thatch in a raspy tone, as he got up.

Ford only nodded his head. "Well how do you propose we get to the colony now, if that's our only way to get there."

Thatch smiled and looked around, "I never said that was our only way." He climbed over to an opening near the ruins and examined, what ended up being an entrance, concluding his theory. "Eh?" he pointed out, "If we can't climb it, we'll have to go through it."

Ford on the other hand, "Are you out of your mind? These ruins are about hundreds of years old..."

"Give or take."

"And they look like they are at the brink of collapsing." Ford pointed out.

"Oh, come on. We were already planning to climb the damn thing. If you ask me, it was much dangerous than just going through it." said Thatch as he went through his bag to grab his light.

"Well I still don't think this is the-"

"Look Ford, if we take this route we can make it to the colony before night hits." Thatch stated, "I don't know about you, but I'm tired as hell and want to rest as soon as possible. Plus, I don't think this place is the best option for a campsite." They heard their surrounds of beasts growling and howling. "So unless you got a better idea, dark mysterious collapsing building it is."

Ford saw Thatch beginning to walk inside the ruins. He only sighed, seeing as there wasn't any other solution but that, and followed him. He had a bad feeling about this.

Inside the ruins, it looked broken down, like the Colosseum of Rome. For a building that was at the brink of collapsing, it was quite a view. A place people would go on a tour for. It was a shame how something like this place could be destroyed.

"Its quite a place here isn't it?"

Ford agreed one-hundred percent. "Looks like the Colosseum."

"Is that a place in your dimension?" asked Thatch.

"Yes. It's a very ancient arena in a place called Rome. Said to be one of the wonders of the world. It was built around the first century of my world, used for gladiator fights, hunts, all sorts of things." explained Ford

"Damn. Sounds bloody."

Ford couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, they needed some type of entertainment." It was something really. Talking about a subject involving his home dimension, made him remember once again, how long its been seen he was last there. Sure, maybe some dimensions he was at were considered earth, but not his earth. Talking about home, kind of hit a nerve button.

"We need to go through here. We'll make it out in no time." Thatch called out.

"Yes, you said that when we were going to climb the ruins." Ford acknowledged. "You sure we won't hit a dead end?"

"Geez, okay, I made one little mistake. I didn't hear you coming up with any ideas." he spoke back. "I'm a great guide, not a psychic for matter. How was I suppose to know the ruins weren't climbable on the outside?"

He did have a point.

Maybe he was being a little hard on the guy. He _was_ trying to help. But the solutions he had were questionable, certainly things he wouldn't try. But then again, Thatch was younger. By thirty years. Maybe perhaps-

 ** _(RUMBLE)_**

All of a sudden the ground, walls, and what was left of the roof, began to shake. Both men looked around to see pieces of rock falling, and walls cracking from their places.

"Oh...shit."

The two bolted towards the direction that would lead them to the exit. "RUUUUN!" Thatch shouted.

Just as they were about to go through a passage, a few boulders blocked what would have been their way out. They then tried to run back from where they entered but was also blocked off. With every direction they ran, the options were becoming limited. The whole place was coming down.

"Thatch, you knucklehead!" shouted Ford.

Thatch looked around, trying to search for an escape route. He examined everywhere, as fast as he could, until his eyesight spotted an opening at what was once a window. "That's it!" he shouted. He grabbed a hold of Ford's sleeve and sprinted and jumped onto the rocks and ledges, leading to the exit, as the entire ruins were close to landing on the two travelers.

Ford looked over at the opening, then caught a glimpse of what was outside...NOTHING! "T-Thatch?!"

He wasn't listening.

"Thatch! Wait! That's not an exit, it's a dr-" Thatch launched himself and Ford of the window, and it turned out to be a "-ooOOOOOP!" yelled Ford as they were falling. With quick thinking, the humanoid pushed Ford and himself towards the landslide of the mountain. They were eventually tumbling and rolling down, crashing into rocks. And soon enough, landing safely-ish onto the ground.

Ford could only grunt, trying to get up. Sure enough that fall was gonna leave bruises. "Thatch..." he hissed out. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't punch you in the face, for throwing us off a fiFTY FEET JUMP?" he yelled as he cracked his back. The sound made him feel old yet again. "Thatch?" Ford called out to him again. He wasn't hearing anything from him. He looked over to find him still lying down.

"Thatch? Are you okay?" he asked. All he could hear were grunts from the humanoid.

Thatch turned over and had a cut on his forehead, with a small stream of blood going down across his face . "H-How's that for an exit?" he spoke as he grunted.

Ford stared at the humanoid with wide eyes. Apparently he took the fall harder than he did. "Uh, Thatch? You might want to..." he signaled his forehead, to let thatch know he was bleeding.

Thatch cocked his head, a bit confused. "Wha-" he touched his face and saw he had blood on his fingers, "ohhh...Might want to patched that up."

"Are you okay?" asked Ford. He may have been feeling a bit bad about the outburst he did a moment ago. He only received a few bruises from the fall but Thatch received a cut to the face. He should be thanking him for getting them out of that death sentence.

"Well, you got us out of that mess...Nice work." Ford said. He walked over to find a view of the colony.

Thatch half-smiled at what he said, while patching up his head. "I told you I knew what I was doing."

Ford couldn't help to smile at the humanoid's response. His tactics were crazy and potentially crazy, but it got them to the other side faster.

They eventually found the colony, not far from what was once the Ruins of Kreena. The two travelers were welcomed and given hospitality. Thatch was taken immediately to the healer, to check his head. In the meantime, the civilians of the colony described and told their customs to Ford. Apparently they were against Bill Cipher as well. Ford explained how they were in search for parts for a weapon to destroy him once and for all.

And if their luck couldn't have gotten better, apparently the blacksmith of the colony was able to whip up a part for the Quantum Destabilizer. Ford then went back to where Thatch was being observed and attended of.

"How are you feeling, Thatch?" asked Ford, as he came inside the tent.

"They have some good stuff for the pain, did you know that." Thatch responded as he sat up. "Its not Nuclucoma, but it comes in second. And you should see the gal whose attending me. Hot stuff."

Ford only nodded at that last part. "Wonderful. Anyways, we're in luck. The blacksmith here is familiar with parts of a gun. He looked over the Quantum Destabilizer, and he said he is able to make a part that is needed."

"Well, in that case, I say we can call this a win." Thatch pointed out.

"I got to hand it to you Thatch." Ford spoke, " Even if you almost got us killed today, you lead us here. I guess I underestimated you when you said you could help me."

Thatch got serious after that. "Damn right...Listen Ford, I'm gonna help you and make sure that weapon is completed. We're gonna make sure that bastard pays for all he has hurt and destroyed. And hopefully, I can help get you back to your dimension, because damn well I know you miss it. But first thing first...bring an end to that monster." with that, Thatch extended his arm, "What do you say, comrade?"

Ford was puzzled by why Thatch had a desire to destroy Cipher. Sure he himself had the same feeling, but Thatch showed more hatred than he did. No matter. Maybe one day he'll ask him why, but for now...

Ford took a hold of Thatch's forearm, "Comrade it is."

 _ **Irfxv rq wkh mrxuqhb qrw wkh ghvwlqdwlrq**_  
 _ **Ehfdxvh vrphwlphv lw'v wkh mrxuqhb wkdw whdfkhv brx lq wkh hqg**_

 **Not one of my best chapter's but eh. It'll do. I'm sorry if Ford seems OOC, I'm trying not to let that happen. But anyways, review what you think.**

 **Btw, those who are following my "The Family's Blessing" story, I am working on it as well. I'm super happy you guys ended up liking the story!**

 **Well then, STAY TUNED!**


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